Understanding Personalities

The term personality refers to the characteristic patterns of thoughts
and actions of a person in relation to the social environment.
Recurring behaviors triggered by specific situations are called personality traits,
and unlike reflexes, which are inborn and performed without conscious thought, personality traits
generally develop as an adaptation to environmental stimuli.
There is a fuzzy boundary between inborn traits and learned traits.
Are persons who are stingy or obstinate born with those qualities? Or,
do these traits develop from facing particular hardships?
This section covers several topics on this subject.

Find your
Soulmate

Personality Compatibility Analysis

Whether you are interested in romance, or just trying to get along with your colleagues at work,
this step-by-step analysis will help you evaluate relationships in a systematic way.

Personality Test

This personality test uses ten categories of individual
and ten categories of social personality attributes to help you look
inside yourself, find out how others see you, and get insights about
other persons. Unlike personality tests like the Myers-Briggs Type
Indicator (MBTI) which look at four aspects of personality
(Extrovert/Introvert, Intuitive/Sensing, Feeling/Thinking,
Judging/Perceiving) that are mainly internal information-processing
functions of the brain, the Personality Test focuses on
categorizing external behavioral traits. This makes it possible
to create a personality profile for yourself based on your own
assessment of your feelings and beliefs, or for another person by
completing the test based on the other person's past behavior and
social interactions. The program includes an introduction to
personality analysis that describes personality compatibility
criteria and how personality attributes may affect social interactions.

Do you have a Gambling Addiction?

Casinos use several methods to attract and retain customers in order to take their money.
Learn some of the psychological techniques used by casinos to encourage gambling.

Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior

An obsession for perfectionism, excessive orderliness and the need to control one's
environment may be a sign of Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD).
Such behavior frequently makes it difficult to accomplish tasks
or have normal interpersonal relationships.

Personality Analysis Exercises

Learn to read between the lines. Apply your knowledge of personality traits to verify the
information that you are given and to deduce the implications of that information.
What can you tell about the person who placed the following personal advertisement?

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is used widely to try to classify personally traits
based on Carl Jung's work on psychological typology.
Many psychologists do not agree that the MBTI provides a reliable assessment of personality.
Nevertheless, the Myers-Briggs personality test is taken by around two million people per year
through 10,000 private companies, 2,500 colleges, and 200 government agencies in the United States.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator tries to classify people into one of 16 personality types.
The MBTI test uses four traits which have two complementary aspects to arrive at the 16
classifications.

According to Myers-Briggs, a person who turns to others to increase energy is an
Extrovert (E), whereas those who turn inward are Introverts (I).
Those who acquire information in a creative way are Intuitive (N),
whereas those who take in information pragmatically are Sensing (S).
People who make decisions seeking harmony are Feeling (F),
but those seeking objective truth are classified as Thinking (T).
Persons preferring to act and get closure are Judging (J),
whereas those who stay open and adapt are Perceiving (P).
Using these categories, a person who is extroverted, intuitive, feeling and judging
would be classified as an ENFJ personality. The following chart has summarizes the
characteristics of the 16 personality types.

Type

Characteristics

INFP

Idealistic, curious and loyal.
Seeks to understand others, but can be less accepting of those who threaten core values.

INFJ

Insightful and oriented toward the future.
Conscientious, but can be firmly decisive to accomplish vision.

INTJ

Hold self and others to high standards. Individualistic and visionary,
but with a tendency toward skepticism.

INTP

Rational, contemplative problem solver.
Great tendency to be critical.

ISTP

Tolerant and candid. Spends a lot of time silently observing,
and provides solutions quickly.

ISTJ

Steadfast and hard-working with a practical outlook.
Strong need for order and organization.

ISFJ

Careful and considerate. Remembers small details about
people and objects, and can be very thorough.

ISFP

Avoids conflicts and quietly friendly. Open-minded and
sympathetic, but prefers to work without others.

ESFP

Likes group interaction. Matches common sense with flexibility.
Loves people and life, but can be too materialistic.

ESFJ

Outgoing and loyal. Follows through on projects,
but seeks affirmation and appreciation.

ESTJ

Decisive and efficient. Uses systematic approach to problems,
and can be forceful in implementing decisions.

ESTP

Bold and tactical, with great energy for solving problems.
Has difficulty focusing on concepts and theories.